Collecting information regarding electronic aging of products

ABSTRACT

Monitoring aging information for multiple devices. Aging information of the devices may be received. Statistics regarding the multiple devices may be determined based on the aging information. For at least some of the devices, update information may be determined based on the respective aging information. The update information may include modifications to operating parameters of the devices. For example, the devices may operate according to initial parameters that are above sustainable parameters and the update information may lower the operating parameters based on the aging information.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to electronic circuits, and more particularly, tomethods and mechanisms to record and/or compensate for the aging of theelectronic circuits.

2. Description of the Related Art

Over the life an electronic circuit, the effects of aging may have animpact on its operation. Factors such as operating time, voltage, andtemperature may change one or more characteristics of various circuitelements. For example, the threshold voltage of a transistor may changeover the operating life of an integrated circuit (IC) in which it isimplemented. A change in the threshold voltage of one or moretransistors may in turn require a change in the supply voltage suppliedto the IC. Generally speaking, an increase in the absolute value of athreshold voltage of one or more transistors in an IC may correspond toan increase in the required supply voltage for correct operation.

One common degradation mechanism that manifests itself during the agingof transistors in electronic circuits is negative bias temperatureinstability (NBTI), which may apply to PMOS (p-channel metal oxidesemiconductor) transistors. The affects on a PMOS transistor of NBTIover a period of time may cause an increase in the absolute value of thethreshold voltage, along with a decrease in drain current andtransconductance. As the absolute value of the transistor's thresholdvoltage increase over time, a higher supply voltage value is required toensure that the circuit operates properly. A similar phenomenon,positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) may affect NMOS (n-channelmetal oxide semiconductor) transistors. Another potential degradationmechanism is hot carrier injection (HCI), wherein electrons or holes maygain sufficient kinetic energy to overcome potential barriers betweendifferent portions of the silicon (e.g., the potential barrier betweenthe silicon substrate and the gate dielectric). Over time, HCI maydegrade the gate dielectric of a transistor, increase its sub-thresholdleakage current, and may also shift the threshold voltage.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments are described of a method for collecting andadjusting for aging of electronic circuits in a device.

More particularly, aging information for multiple devices may bereceived, e.g., over a wide area network, such as the Internet. Theaging information may be received by a local computer that is coupled tothe device. In one embodiment, the local computer may execute amanagement program for interrogating (or managing) the device.Additionally, or alternatively, the aging information may be received byone or more remote computers (e.g., servers). Where the aginginformation is received by the remote computers, it may be received viaa local computer (e.g., where the local computer receives the aginginformation and provides it to the remote computers) or directly fromthe device itself (e.g., where the device provides the aging informationto the remote computers without using a local computer).

The devices may be of a common type and common generation or have asimilar design. The aging information may specify aging of one or moreelectronic circuits in each device, and may therefore indicate aging forthe device. For example, the aging information may indicate theoperating conditions of the device while the device is being used (e.g.,operating temperature, operating voltage, operating frequency, etc.). Inone embodiment, the aging information may be generated by the devicebased on dedicated aging circuits included in the device. Additionalinformation may also be received for the devices, e.g., including usageinformation (e.g., time of the day that the devices are being used),battery condition information, location information, operating andenvironment temperature information, shaking information (e.g., whendevices are being used for gaming), etc.

The aging information may be used for a variety of purposes. Forexample, in one embodiment, statistics (e.g., regarding operation of thedevices) may be determined for the multiple devices using the aginginformation. For example, the statistics may include the average agingof the devices and/or aging based on the various received additionalinformation (e.g., based on location of the devices, shaking of thedevices, operating or environmental temperature of the devices, etc.).The statistics may be used for determining operating parameters for thedevices, designing new devices, refining assumptions of use of thedevices, etc.

The aging information may also be used to determine new operatingparameters for a particular device. For example, the aging informationof the particular device may be received and update information may begenerated that modifies operating parameters of the device. For example,the operating parameters may include operating frequency, operatingvoltage(s), etc. The generated operating parameters may ensure that thedevice meets its life expectancy (e.g., ensuring that the currentoperating parameters will not age the device at a rate that will causethe device to no longer function before reaching its life expectancy),improve battery life, improve performance, improve user experience, etc.

The update information may be based on the aging information of thedevice, the additional information of the device, and/or the aginginformation and/or additional information of the multitude of devices.For example, the update information may be based not only on the aginginformation or additional information of the device, but also on thestatistics of the multiple devices described above.

The update information may be generated by the local computer, theremote computers, or even the device itself, as desired. For example,the device may monitor its own usage or aging and determine updates toits operating parameters based on the aging. Alternatively, oradditionally, the local computer or remote computers may generate theupdate information based on the received aging information and/oradditional information.

In some embodiments, one or more of the devices may be initiallyconfigured to operate according to first operating parameters that areabove sustainable operating parameters. For example, the sustainableoperating parameters may be based on assumptions of use of the device.The assumptions may be overly conservative, e.g., assuming that thedevice will be operated non-stop over the desired lifetime of the device(e.g., 5 years). Accordingly, the first operating parameters may beabove those operating parameters (e.g., with a higher operatingfrequency and/or operating voltage and/or operating temperature). In oneembodiment, the first operating parameters may allow the device toinitially operate with higher performance than would be achieved usingthe sustainable operating parameters.

Use of the device(s) may be monitored over time, e.g., by receiving theaging information described above. Accordingly, each device may be laterconfigured according to respective second operating parameters based onthe monitoring of use of the device. The second operating parameters maygenerally be lower than the first operating parameters, e.g., if thedevice has experienced enough aging or use to require a change inoperating parameters. The second operating parameters may be determinedas described in the update information above.

Use and/or aging of each device and subsequent updating of the devicemay be performed one or more times throughout the life of the device.Accordingly, the operating parameters of the device may be changed overtime as the electronics of the device ages. Thus, the operatingparameters of each device may change in accordance with the aging ofthat particular device, which may allow the device to have betterperformance, battery life, user experience, etc. than would normally bepossible without monitoring and updating the device, as describedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description makes reference to the accompanyingdrawings, which are now briefly described.

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate exemplary systems, according to variousembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary device, according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an integrated circuit(IC) having an age compensation apparatus;

FIG. 4A is a logic diagram of one embodiment of an aging detectioncircuit;

FIG. 4B is schematic diagram of one embodiment of an aging detectioncircuit;

FIG. 5 is a graphic illustrating the functioning of one embodiment of anaging detection circuit over time.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for collectingaging information;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for updating adevice based on aging information; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for modifyingoperating parameters of a device over time.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to limit the invention to theparticular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appendedclaims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes onlyand are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description. Asused throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissivesense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatorysense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”,and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.

Various units, circuits, or other components may be described as“configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configuredto” is a broad recitation of structure generally meaning “havingcircuitry that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such,the unit/circuit/component can be configured to perform the task evenwhen the unit/circuit/component is not currently on. In general, thecircuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” mayinclude hardware circuits and/or memory storing program instructionsexecutable to implement the operation. The memory can include volatilememory such as static or dynamic random access memory and/or nonvolatilememory such as optical or magnetic disk storage, flash memory,programmable read-only memories, etc. Similarly, variousunits/circuits/components may be described as performing a task ortasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should beinterpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting aunit/circuit/component that is configured to perform one or more tasksis expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph sixinterpretation for that unit/circuit/component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Terms

The following is a glossary of terms used in the present application:

Memory Medium—Any of various types of memory devices or storage devices.The term “memory medium” is intended to include an installation medium,e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks 104, or tape device; a computer systemmemory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM,Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash, magnetic media,e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or other similartypes of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may include other typesof memory as well or combinations thereof. In addition, the memorymedium may be located in a first computer in which the programs areexecuted, or may be located in a second different computer whichconnects to the first computer over a network, such as the Internet. Inthe latter instance, the second computer may provide programinstructions to the first computer for execution. The term “memorymedium” may include two or more memory media which may reside indifferent locations, e.g., in different computers that are connectedover a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g.,embodied as computer programs) that may be executed by one or moreprocessors.

Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physicaltransmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physicaltransmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals.

Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems,including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system,workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digitalassistant (PDA), personal communication device, smart phone, tablet,television system, grid computing system, or other device orcombinations of devices. In general, the term “computer system” can bebroadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices)having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memorymedium.

Portable Device—any of various types of computer systems which aremobile or portable, including portable gaming devices (e.g., NintendoDS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptops,tablets, PDAs, mobile telephones, handheld devices, portable Internetdevices, music players, data storage devices, etc. In general, the term“portable device” can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic,computing, and/or telecommunications device (or combination of devices)which is easily transported by a user.

Communication Device—any of various devices which are capable ofcommunicating with other devices, e.g., wirelessly. Communication Deviceis a superset of portable devices with communication capabilities (e.g.,a Communication Device may be portable or stationary). Communicationdevices include cell phones, wireless access points (e.g., wirelessrouters) and other devices capable of communicating with other devices.

Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computersystem (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g.,circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without userinput directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thusthe term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manuallyperformed or specified by the user, where the user provides input todirectly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiatedby input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that areperformed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are notperformed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform.For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting eachfield and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typinginformation, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is fillingout the form manually, even though the computer system must update theform in response to the user actions. The form may be automaticallyfilled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g.,software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of theform and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answersto the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automaticfilling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of theform (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields butrather they are being automatically completed). The presentspecification provides various examples of operations beingautomatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

FIGS. 1A-1C—Exemplary Systems

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate various systems that may implement embodimentsdescribed herein. More particularly, FIGS. 1A-1C illustrates variousembodiments where a device 100 may be coupled to different computersystems in different configurations.

The device 100 may be any of various devices. For example, the device100 may be a portable or mobile device, such as a mobile phone, tablet,PDA, audio/video player, etc. In one embodiment, the device 100 may be awireless device that is configured to communicate with other devices(e.g., other wireless devices, wireless peripherals, cell towers, accesspoints, etc.) using one or more wireless channels. As used herein, a“wireless device” refers to a device that is able to communicate withother devices or systems using wireless communication. For example, thedevice 100 may be configured to utilize one or more wireless protocols,e.g., 802.11x, Bluetooth, WiMax, CDMA, GSM, etc., in order tocommunicate with the other devices wirelessly. In embodiments describedherein, the device 100 may be configured to monitor aging or usage ofthe device 100.

As also shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, the device 100 may include a display,which may be operable to display graphics provided by an applicationexecuting on the device 100. The application may be any of variousapplications, such as, for example, games, internet browsingapplications, email applications, phone applications, productivityapplications, etc. The application may be stored in a memory medium ofthe device 100. As described below, the device 100 may include aprocessor (e.g., a CPU) and display circuitry (e.g., including a GPU)which may collectively execute these applications.

In embodiments described herein, the device 100 may be configured tomonitor aging information of the device 100. The device 100 may beconfigured to report that aging information (and/or other information)to various computer systems. For example, the device 100 may be coupledto computer system 150 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The device 100 may,for example, provide aging information to the computer system 150, whichmay execute a management application for the device 100. The device 100may also receive update information from the computer system 150, e.g.,in response to the aging information of the device 100. The managementapplication executing on the computer system 150 may also perform otherfunctions for the device 100, e.g., synching various files between thecomputer system 150 and the device 100, providing firmware updates,backing up the device 100, etc.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1B, the computer system 150 may be coupled toa server (or multiple servers) over network 125 (e.g., a wide areanetwork, such as the Internet). In this embodiment, the aginginformation provided to the computer system 150 may be provided to theserver 175 over the network 125. The server 175 may be configured tocollect aging information of multiple such devices. Additionally, theserver 175 may be configured to provide update information for thedevice 100 in response to the aging information and/or may be configuredto provide update(s) for the management program executing on thecomputer system 150.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1C, the device 100 may be a wireless devicethat is able to communicate with the server 175 directly (without usingan intermediate computer system, as shown in FIG. 1B). In thisembodiment, the device 100 may be configured to provide the aginginformation to the server 175 over the network and/or receive updateinformation from the server 175 based on the aging information.

FIG. 2—Block Diagram of Device 100

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the device 100. Asshown, the device 100 may include a system on chip (SOC) 200, which mayinclude portions for various purposes, including processor 202, displaycircuitry 204, and memory medium 206. As described below, the SOC 200may include various aging detecting circuits or other circuits orprograms for determining aging or usage of the device 100.

As also shown, the SOC 200 may be coupled to various other circuits ofthe device 100. For example, the device 100 may include various types ofmemory (e.g., including NAND 210), a dock interface 220 (e.g., forcoupling to the computer system 150), the display 240, and wirelesscommunication circuitry (e.g., for GSM, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.) which mayuse antenna 235 to perform the wireless communication.

FIG. 3—Integrated Circuit:

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of one embodiment of anintegrated circuit (IC) 300 of device 100 is illustrated. IC 300 may beone of a number of different types of integrated circuits. For example,IC 300 may be (or may be included in) the SOC 200, incorporating anumber of different functions, including processing functions, memory,I/O functions, and other types of functions associated with SOC's. Inanother embodiment, IC 300 may be a discrete processor, or otherdiscrete component IC such as a bridge, an I/O component, etc. used in acomputer system (e.g., in a desktop or laptop computer). IC 300 may alsobe an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Generally speakingIC 300 may be any type of IC, and may include analog and/or digitalcircuitry.

In the embodiment shown, IC 300 includes multiple aging detectioncircuits (ADC's) 310 and 320, a power control unit 315, a non-volatile(NV) memory 317, and core functional circuitry 319. The core functionalcircuitry may be that circuitry that is configured to perform theintended functions of IC 300. IC 300 may also be coupled to, or mayinclude, a voltage regulator 318 coupled to receive a supply voltage andconfigured to provide an operating voltage. Voltage regulator 318 may bea variable voltage regulator, in which the operating voltage providedthereby may be adjusted.

As previously noted, IC 300 includes multiple aging detection circuits(ADC's) 310 and at least one ADC 320, which may be a variation of ADC310. The ADC's 310 and 320 may be various types of circuits used todetect aging of IC 300. In some embodiments, each ADC 310 may be a ringoscillator, or a counter. Aging may be detected via variations in thefrequency of the ring oscillator over time, for example. Embodimentswhere each of ADC's 310 is the same or similar type of circuit to ADC320 are also possible and contemplated. Further embodiments are alsopossible and contemplated wherein a variety of different types ofcircuits are used to detect aging are implemented. Embodiments of ADC320 will be discussed in further detail below.

Each ADC 310 and ADC 320 in the embodiment shown is coupled to powercontrol unit 315. Power control unit 315 may perform various powercontrol functions, including adjustment of the supply voltage based onaging of IC 300. In the embodiment shown, each ADC 310 and 320 mayprovide respective indications of aging to an aging register 316 ofpower control unit 315. Aging register 316 may store the indications ofaging in order to enable power control unit 315 to make a determinationof the aging of IC 300. For example, each ADC 310 and 320 may beconfigured to provide a bit in a first state to indicate aging of thatparticular ADC 310/320 up to or beyond a certain threshold, and toprovide a bit in a second (complementary) state to indicate that the ADC310/320 has not aged up to the threshold. However, in other embodiments,particular ones of ADC 310 may provide other indications of aging topower control unit 315 (e.g., a count value, a frequency, etc.), whichmay then be converted into information storable in aging register 316.

Power control unit 315 in the embodiment shown is configured todetermine the aging of IC 300 based on the indications stored in agingregister 316. In some embodiments, each individual ADC 310/320 may beconfigured to provide indications of aging up to a threshold valuedifferent from other instances of ADC 310/320. For example, a first ADC310 may provide an indication responsive to aging sufficiently to crossa first threshold, while a second ADC 310 may provide an indicationresponsive to aging sufficiently to cross a second threshold, whereinthe aging associated with the second threshold is greater (e.g., moreelapsed time) than the first threshold. Thus, based on reading theindications of aging stored in aging register 316, power control unit315 may determine the aging of IC 300 (e.g., the approximate amount ofoperating time elapsed for IC 300, or the approximate amount ofdegradation that has occurred due to aging). In other embodiments, theremay be no aging register 316. The power control unit 15 may directlyoperate on the inputs from the ADCs 310 and 320, for example.

Additionally or alternatively, each ADC 310 or 320 may also indicateaging based on different uses of the device 100. For example, one ormore ADCs may indicate aging when the device 100 is used in a firstfunction (e.g., video), while another one or more ADCs may indicateaging when the device 100 is used in a second function (e.g., listeningto music. This embodiment may be extended to any number of differentfunctions, e.g., browsing the web, reading a book, checking email,texting, etc. In one embodiment, in order to achieve thisspecialization, each ADC may only operate when the respective mode isbeing used (e.g., ADCs associated with video may only be operated whenvideo is played on the device 100).

It should be noted that embodiments are possible and contemplatedwherein some or all of the functions performed by power control 315 areperformed by software instead of hardware. For example, softwareinstructions may be executed to determine the aging of IC 300 based inthe indications of aging provide by the ADC's 310/320, to writeinformation indicative of a specified operating voltage value to NVmemory 317, and to cause signals to be provided to voltage regulator 318in order to set the operating voltage to that specified in NV memory317. Software instructions may also be executed to designate a portionof a memory to store the indications of aging, in lieu of providingaging register 316 (e.g. within RAM 12 of core functional circuitry 19in the illustrated embodiment).

It is noted that the ADCs 310 and 320 are illustrated for convenience inthe block diagram of FIG. 3 as separate from the area occupied by othercircuitry. However, in one embodiment, the ADCs 310 and 320 may bephysically distributed over the surface of the IC 300 (including theareas occupied by the core functional circuitry 319, the power controlunit 315, etc.), for example to monitor differential aging in IC 300.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5—Exemplary Aging Detection Circuit and Operation

FIG. 4A is a logic diagram of one embodiment of ADC 320. In theembodiment shown, ADC 320 includes a filter 422, first inverter 424,second inverter 426, and feedback transistor N3. Filter 422 in theembodiment shown is a high pass filter including capacitor C1 andresistor R1, although other types of filters (e.g., low pass or bandpass) may be used as well. In some embodiments, filter 422 may bereplaced by other circuitry, including circuitry that may mimic itsbehavior. Embodiments utilizing digital filters are also possible andcontemplated. Furthermore, filter 422 may be replaced in someembodiments by an up/down counter coupled to a digital-to-analogconverter (DAC) to generate the input voltage at the input of firstinverter 422. In general, any suitable type of circuitry for generatinga momentary input voltage on the input of inverter 424 may be used invarious embodiments of ADC 320.

In the embodiment shown, filter 422 is configured such that when poweris initially applied to node Vop (the operating voltage node), thevoltage on the input of inverter 424 rises and then falls in a mannercomparable shown in graph 500 of FIG. 5. This voltage may or may notrise to a level sufficient to change the output of inverter 424. Theoutput of inverter 424 may be provided to the input of inverter 426. Theoutput of inverter 426 may be provided to transistor N3, and may also beprovided to other units, such as power control unit 315 as shown in FIG.3. Inverter 426 and transistor N3 are arranged to form a half-latchcircuit in the embodiment shown, wherein a change of the input/outputstate of inverter 426 to a logic one (high voltage) may be held viaactivation of transistor N3.

The state of the output of inverter 424 may depend both on the state ofits input, as well as on the state of transistor N3. In the embodimentshown, if the input of inverter 424 is a logic 0 (e.g., a low voltage),then its output will be a logic 1 if transistor N3 is inactive. Thelogic 1 on the output from inverter 424 may be input into inverter 426,causing the output of inverter 426 to output a logic 0. The logic 0(which is a low voltage in this example) may in turn cause transistor N3to remain inactive. Furthermore, a logic 0 output by inverter 426 mayindicate that ADC 420 has not detected aging up to at least a certainaging threshold. A logic 1 output by inverter 426 may indicate that ADC420 has detected aging up to or beyond that threshold.

If the voltage on the input of inverter 424 rises sufficiently duringthe initial power up sequence (e.g. to the toggle point, or trip point,of the inverter), the output of inverter 424 may change states from alogic 1 to a logic 0. If the output of inverter 24 (and thus the inputof inverter 26) changes to a logic 0, inverter 426 may respond byoutputting a logic 1. The outputting of the logic 1 by inverter 426 mayresult in a gate voltage sufficient to turn on transistor N3. Whentransistor N3 is activated, a pull-down path may exist between theoutput node of inverter 424 and ground. Accordingly, the output ofinverter 424 may be pulled down toward ground (and thus toward a logic0), irrespective of the logic value on its input. The logic 0 on theoutput of inverter 424 may cause the output of inverter 426 to be alogic 1, thereby causing transistor N3 to remain active. Accordingly,the half-latch circuit formed by inverter 426 and transistor N3 in theembodiment of FIG. 4A is arranged such that once transistor N3 isactive, the input and output states of inverter 426 may be held to thesame values for the remainder of time that power is applied to ADC 420.As a result, even if the input of inverter 424 falls to a logic 0, thelogic 0 output state of inverter 424 may be enforced by the activationof transistor N3.

FIG. 4B is schematic diagram that further illustrates an embodiment ofADC 320. In the embodiment shown, first inverter 424 includes a PMOS(p-channel metal oxide semiconductor) transistor P1 and an NMOS(n-channel metal oxide semiconductor) transistor N1. Transistor P1 inthis embodiment includes a source terminal coupled to Vop, a drainterminal coupled to node 425, and a gate terminal coupled to node 423.Transistor N1 in this embodiment includes a drain terminal coupled tonode 425, a source terminal coupled to ground, and a gate terminalcoupled to node 423. Inverter 426 in the embodiment shown includes PMOStransistor P2 and NMOS transistor N2. Transistor P2 in this embodimentincludes drain and source terminals coupled to node 427 and Vop,respectively, and a gate terminal coupled to node 425. Transistor N2 inthis embodiment includes drain and source terminal coupled to node 427and ground, respectively, and a gate terminal coupled to node 425. Aswith the embodiment of FIG. 4A, a half-latch circuit is formed byinverter 426 and transistor N3. Transistor N3 in this embodimentincludes gate, drain, and source terminals coupled to node 427, node425, and ground, respectively. ADC 320 as shown in FIG. 4B also includescapacitor C1 and resistor R1 (coupled together at node 423), although aspreviously noted, other filter embodiments are possible andcontemplated.

When a voltage equivalent to a logic 0 is provided to node 423 (i.e. theinput node of inverter 424) in the embodiment shown, transistor P1 maybe active while transistor N1 may be inactive. Accordingly, transistorP1 may remain active for nearly the entire time power is applied to ADC320. When power is initially applied to ADC 320, a low voltage ispresent on the input of inverter 424, and thus transistor P1 mayactivate. If the initial voltage bump illustrated in graph 421 of FIG. 5does not rise to a level sufficient to turn off transistor P1, it maythus remain active for the remainder of time that power is applied toADC 320. Accordingly, transistor P1 may be subject to degradationmechanisms that occur with the aging of a PMOS transistor. In thisparticular example, transistor P1 may be subject to at least thedegradation mechanism of negative bias temperature instability (NBTI).NBTI may cause the magnitude of the threshold voltage to increase overtime, and this may affect whether or not P1 is turned off, at leastmomentarily, during a subsequent power on sequence.

When transistor P1 is on, a pull-up path between node 425 and Vop may beprovided. If transistor N1 is turned off while P1 is on, then node 425may be pulled up toward Vop. This may result in a logic 1 voltagepresent on node 425. As a result of the logic 1 voltage on node 425,transistor N2 of inverter 426 may be active, while transistor P2 mayremain inactive. When active, transistor N2 may provide a pull-down pathbetween node 427 and ground, thereby causing a logic 0 voltage to bepresent on that node. The logic 0 voltage present on node 427 may beinsufficiently high to activate transistor N3.

If, during a power up sequence, the voltage present on node 423 risessufficiently high, transistor P1 may be momentarily deactivated.Transistor N1 may become active, thereby providing a pull-down pathbetween node 425 and ground. Accordingly, inverter 424 will have changedits input/output states, at least momentarily, as a logic 0 voltage maybe present on node 425. As a result of the logic 0 voltage on node 425,transistor N2 may be deactivated, while transistor P2 may become active.The activation of transistor P2 may result in a pull-up path betweennode 427 and Vop, while the deactivation of transistor N2 may block thepull-down path between node 427 and ground. Accordingly, node 427 may bepulled up toward the operating voltage present on Vop, which results ina logic 1 voltage being driven by inverter 426. The logic 1 voltage mayfurther be sufficient to cause the activation of transistor N3. Theactivation of transistor N3 may then create a pull-down path betweennode 425 and ground. This may effectively force a logic 0 voltage ontonode 425, and thereby force a logic 1 voltage onto node 427. The logic 0on node 425 and logic 1 on node 427 may be held for the remainder oftime that power is provided to ADC 320.

After the voltage on node 423 falls again, transistor N1 may bedeactivated, while transistor P1 may be activated again if notpreviously deactivated. However, if N3 is active, it may continue todrive a low voltage (and thus a logic 0) onto node 425, regardless ofthe state of transistor P1. In various embodiments, transistors N3 andP1 are sized relative to each other such that N3 has more drive strengththan P1. In one example, the respective channel width/length ratios ofN3 and P1 are sized such that N3 is at least twice as large as P1.Accordingly, when both N3 and P1 are active, node 425 may be driven to alow voltage, even though P1 is active, since the drive strength oftransistor N3 is sufficient to overdrive that of transistor P1.Furthermore, when both N3 and P1 are active, a situation may existwherein a logic 0 is present both on the input and output of inverter424.

It should be noted that the circuits illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B areexemplary, and thus other embodiments are possible and contemplated. Forexample, circuit may be implemented using different types of transistorsand different logic levels, while still falling within the general scopeof the particular circuit embodiments discussed herein. For example, thecircuits illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be configured to utilizepositive bias temperature instability (PBTI) in NMOS transistors, forexample by swapping the resistor R1 and capacitor C1 in filter 422 (thusforming a low-pass filter) and replacing transistor N3 by a PMOStransistor P3 with its source connected to node Vop, drain connected tonode 425, and gate connected to node 427.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating an example of the operation for oneembodiment of ADC 320 with respect to aging. As previously noted, graph500 illustrates an approximation of the voltage present on node 423during the initial application of power to ADC 320. When power isinitially applied to ADC 320, the voltage on node 423 may rise up to apeak value, and may then subsequently fall, the duration of this riseand fall may be short in duration, but may be long enough to turn offtransistor P1 depending on its threshold voltage. At time T1 during thelife of the circuit (e.g., at the beginning of its operating life), themagnitude of the threshold voltage of transistor P1 is small enough thatthe voltage rise on node 423 is not sufficient to change its state fromactive to inactive. At time T2, later during the life of the ADC 320,the magnitude of the threshold voltage of P1 has increased due todegradation mechanisms incurred during its operation. However, at timeT2, the magnitude of the threshold voltage has not increase enough tocause transistor P1 to deactivate during the power on sequence. However,at time T3 during the life of ADC 320, the magnitude of the thresholdvoltage has increased enough that the peak voltage on node 423 issufficient to cause at least a momentary deactivation of transistor P1.The momentary deactivation may be accompanied by a momentary activationof transistor N1, thereby resulting in a logic 0 on node 425, a logic 1on node 427, the activation of transistor N3, and the holding of node425 to a logic 0 even after the voltage on node 23 falls enough to allowP1 to become active again.

FIG. 6—Collecting Aging Information from Multiple Devices

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for collecting aging information frommultiple devices. The method shown in FIG. 6 may be used in conjunctionwith any of the computer systems or devices shown in the above Figures,among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elementsshown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, ormay be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed asdesired. As shown, this method may operate as follows.

In 602, aging information may be received and stored regarding multipledevices over a wide area network. For each respective device, the aginginformation may specify aging of one or more electronic circuits in therespective device. For example, the aging information may be the aginginformation reported by the aging detection circuits described above.Alternatively, the aging information may be derived from the output ofthe aging detection circuits described above. In other words, the aginginformation may be the aging information directly provided from theaging circuits or any derived information that indicates aging of thedevice. For example, the number of thresholds that have been exceeded,following the descriptions of FIGS. 3-5, qualifies as aging information.

The devices may all be of a similar type, e.g., manufactured by a commonmanufacturer and/or according to a common design. For example, eachdevice may be of a same model (or a substantially similar model), e.g.,within a generation of the device type. As a specific example, thedevices may all be within a same generation of a same type of device(e.g., they may all be 4^(th) generation iPhones®, where the generationis 4 and the type is iPhone®). In cases where the devices are not of thesame generation or model, they may be sufficiently similar that theaging information is comparable among the different types or models ofdevices. For example, the different devices may include similar circuitsand are expected to have similar aging characteristics.

The aging information may be received in any of a variety of ways. Forexample, following the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1B, the aginginformation may be provided from each device to a respective localcomputer system, e.g., that executes management software for managingthe device. As used herein, “local computer” refers to a computer systemthat the device communicates with that is within a relatively shortdistance from the device. For example, the device and local computer maybe coupled via a cable (e.g., via USB) that is less than ten feet inlength. Alternatively, the local computer may be within wirelesscommunication distance using a short wireless communication protocol(e.g., over Bluetooth or 802.11x wireless communication). The localcomputer may be within 5 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet, 25 feet, 50 feet, or100 feet of the device when the aging information is provided. The localcomputer, in turn, may provide the aging information of its respectivedevice(s) (e.g., there may be more than one device that the localcomputer manages) to one or more servers (one or more remote computersystems) over the wide area network in 602. Alternatively, such as isshown in the example of FIG. 1C, each device may provide its own aginginformation to the one or more servers directly, e.g., over the widearea network, without using a local computer. For example, each devicemay communicate the aging information to the one or more servers using acellular data plan or via an access point (e.g., an 802.11x accesspoint).

In 604, additional information may be received and stored regarding thedevices. The additional information may include operating parameters ofthe devices. For example, the additional information may include anoperating frequency of each device. Further, one or more operatingvoltages of each devices may be received. There may be a singleoperating voltage for each device or there may be multiple voltages. Forexample, each device may operate at different voltages according to itsmode (e.g., it may operate at a first voltage while in video mode, asecond voltage while in phone mode, a third voltage while browsing theInternet, etc.). Accordingly, the different operating voltages may bereceived in the additional information. Similarly, there may be multipleoperating frequencies for different modes, as desired.

In some embodiments, the additional information may include usageinformation, which may indicate various values indicating how the devicehas been used. For example, the usage information may include overall“on” time (how long the device has been powered on), overall standbytime, overall processing time (how much processing time the device hasperformed), peak performance time (how long the device has been operatedat peak performance), charging time (how long the device has beencharged), talk time (e.g., how long the user has used the phone to makephone calls), data transfer time, time spent in various modes of thedevice, e.g., including video mode, game play mode, music listeningmode, web browsing mode, email checking mode, texting mode, applicationspecific mode, built-in application mode, third party application mode,etc. This usage information may be gathered via the aging circuitsdescribed above or via software, as desired. For example, software maymonitor the mode that it is currently in and log the information fordifferent modes or processes. For example, the software may store atable of the different categories described above (among others) andhave a cumulative time for each of the different categories. Othermetrics are envisioned other than time.

It should be noted that the aging of the electronic circuits and theusage information may be highly correlated. More specifically, since thecircuits only experience significant aging when they are used, the usagemay generally indicate the aging of the circuits and vice versa.However, the aging information may better reflect the actual electroniccondition of the device if it is determined as a function of operatingconditions (e.g., operating voltage, operating frequency, and/ortemperature) during actual use rather than simply usage data.

The additional information may include other types of information. Forexample, the additional information may include battery conditioninformation, e.g., how many charging cycles the battery has beenthrough, the degree of depletion of the battery, the amount of power thebattery is still able to supply, etc. The additional information mayalso include location information (e.g., where the device includes GPScircuitry or is otherwise able to determine its location). For example,the location information may indicate the area (e.g., city or region ofcountry) that the device is usually located or operated, the differentareas the device has traveled to, the location of the device, thealtitude of the device while it is providing the aging information, etc.In some embodiments, the additional information may include temperatureinformation, e.g., average temperature of operation, average ambienttemperature, highest ambient temperature, lowest ambient temperature,highest temperature of operation, number of temperature cyclesexperienced, etc. The additional information may also include shakinginformation, e.g., indicating how much or how often the device has beenshaken, such as while playing a game or from rough treatment. Theshaking information may be gathered by accelerometers included in thedevice. The additional information may also indicate when the device wasinitially manufactured or initially activated for use (e.g., by theuser).

In 606, statistics may be derived for the devices using the aginginformation received in 602. More particularly, the statistics mayrelate to operation of the devices. As some examples, the statistics mayinclude the average aging of devices, best and worst case aging,distribution of aging, etc. according to actual electronic aging of thedevices.

Further, the statistics may also be derived using the additionalinformation received in 604. More specifically, the statistics mayinclude average aging according to any of the information gathered inthe additional information, among other possibilities. For example, thestatistics may indicate aging with respect to various usage, e.g., whichmodes or application cause the device to age more quickly than others.The statistics could further indicate aging according to differentlocations. For example, it may be that devices used in colder climatesage more slowly than devices used in warmer clients, or that users in acertain area generally use the device more often than users in adifferent area. The statistics could further indicate correlationsbetween battery condition and aging information, e.g., how quickly agingoccurs as a function of charging cycles. The statistics could alsoindicate how shaking of the device affects aging of the device. Thus,statistics may be derived and stored regarding aging of the device inrelation to the various additional information discussed above.

In 608, the statistics may be used for various purposes, such as thosedescribed in the flowcharts below, among others. For example, thestatistics may be used to refine assumptions of use of the devices. Thismay be particularly beneficial when designing new devices (e.g., of thesame type of device). More particularly, in order to guarantee anoperational lifetime of a device (e.g., 5 years), certain assumptionshave to be made regarding usage of the device for design parameters.Typically, designers use very conservative usage estimations. Forexample, worst case scenarios may be used, e.g., where it is assumedthat the device will be used nonstop for 5 years. By gathering thestatistics, more realistic cases may be determined that may be used inthe design process. For example, an actual worst case aging/usage may bedetermined by finding the maximum aged device among the multitude ofdevices. Accordingly, this worst case could be used as the worst caseassumption of the device. Other actual cases (or average cases) could beused for the assumption of aging, as desired.

In some embodiments, the statistics may be used to determine operatingparameters for the devices for which the aging information was received.For example, the average aging of the devices may be used to determinewhat operating parameters should be used for the average device or forparticular sets of devices. In one embodiment, a data structure may begenerated that indicates the values of operating parameters fordifferent sets of aging information (e.g., different ranges of aginginformation). For example, the data structure may indicate operatingparameters for different thresholds of aging, e.g., devices that haveaged to a first threshold may have a first set of operating parameters,devices that have aged to a second threshold may have a second set ofoperating parameters, etc. The data structure may also be based on anyof the additional information described above as well. As describedbelow, operating parameters may be determined for individual devicesbased on the aging information and/or additional information of therespective device, and the respective device may be updated to operateaccording to those operating parameters. For example, in one embodiment,the data structure may include a database where a query can be formedusing aging information and/or additional information of a particulardevice, and a set of operating parameters may be returned.

In further embodiments, the statistics may be used for evaluating thecomponents used in the devices, such as the quality and life expectancyof the battery used in the device (e.g., based on battery conditioninformation). Thus, the derived statistics may be used for a variety ofpurposes, as desired.

FIG. 7—Updating Operating Parameters of a Device Based on AgingInformation

FIG. 7 illustrates a method for updating a device based on aginginformation. The method shown in FIG. 7 may be used in conjunction withany of the computer systems or devices shown in the above Figures, amongother devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shownmay be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or maybe omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired.As shown, this method may operate as follows.

In 702, aging information of a device may be received. The descriptionsof the aging information and the device of 602 apply to 702 as well.Additionally, 702 may be performed by one or both of the local computersystem (e.g., that manages the device 702) or the remote computersystem(s) (e.g., one or more servers over a wide area network). Forexample, the aging information may be received from the device to thelocal computer, which may store the aging information (e.g., forprocessing as described below) or provide the aging information on theremote computer system(s). Alternatively, the aging information may beprovided from the device to the remote computer system(s) without usingthe local computer system as a go-between.

In 704, additional information of the device may be received. Similar to702, the descriptions of 604 also apply. Further, 704 may be performedby one or both of the local computer system or the remote computersystem(s).

In 706, update information may be generated based on the aginginformation and/or the additional information. The update informationmay be generated by the local computer system and/or the remote computersystem(s). For example, the update information may be generated by thelocal computer system using the management application for managing thedevice. In this embodiment, the management application may includeprogram instructions for determining the update information based on thereceived aging and/or additional information. For example, themanagement application may have been provided or updated to includethese update program instructions from the one or more remote computersystems. Said another way, the management program may be updated (e.g.,periodically) by the remote computer systems to include the programinstructions for determining the update information. Alternatively, theremote computer system(s) themselves may determine the updateinformation, which may either be provided to the device directly in 708(e.g., where there is no intervening local computer system) or may beprovided to the local computer system for provision to the device in708.

The update information may be determined based on the received aginginformation and/or the additional information according to a variety ofmethods. For example, if the aging information indicates advanced orsignificant electronic age of the device, the device may be updated toensure that it will meet operational life specifications (e.g., fiveyears). However, if the aging information does not indicate significantelectronic age (e.g., where the device would not meet operational lifespecifications), an update may not be required. Alternatively, if thedevice has not experienced much aging, the update information may modifythe operating parameters to other values, e.g., increasing operatingfrequency to increase device performance. More specifically, the updateinformation may attempt to optimize one or more operatingcharacteristics of the device based on current aging. For example, theupdate information may primarily ensure that the device may meetoperational life specifications. Once this goal is ensured, the updateinformation may attempt to increase performance of the device (e.g.,increasing from an operating frequency of, for example, 1 GHz to 1.1GHz), increase battery life expectancy, device battery life per batterycharge (e.g., by decreasing voltage to consume less battery power duringoperation), decrease a rate of aging of the device, etc.

The priority of the above choices may vary. For example, in early life,system performance may be more important than battery life, while, incases where the device has aged significantly, battery life may be moreimportant than providing a better system performance (e.g., the systemperformance may be lowered in order to maintain a certain battery life).In one embodiment, the update information may attempt to guarantee acertain battery life of the device (e.g., on a per charge basis), andthen attempt to maximize system performance. Thus, as one particularexample, the aging information and additional information (e.g., batterycondition information) may be used to determine settings that a) ensurethat the device will meet life expectancy requirements, b) meet minimumbattery life expectations while still ensuring a), and c) provide thehighest system performance while still ensuring a) and b).

In one embodiment, the update information may be determined based on arate of aging of the device. For example, a rate of aging may bedetermined by comparing the manufacture date or date of activation bythe user with the current age, using a known baseline of the electroniccircuits being measured. Accordingly, it may be determined how quicklythe device has been aged, and operating parameters may be determinedbased on that age. More specifically, more conservative parameters maybe used when the device has a high rate of aging whereas more aggressiveparameters may be used when the device has a lower rate of aging.Generally, conservative parameters may safeguard against aging (e.g., bydecreasing operating frequency) whereas aggressive parameters mayattempt to maximize performance or other operating characteristics(e.g., by increasing operating frequency or enabling features that aredisabled by default).

The update information may be generated based on various baselineoperating parameters. For example, it may be known that a specific setof operating parameters will allow the device to meet its operationallife specification, e.g., since these operating parameters wereinitially determined based on a conservative estimate of use (e.g., thatthe device will be turned on all the time for the entirety of itslifetime). Accordingly, such a baseline may be used to determine theupdate information for the particular device. For example, a device thathas aged significantly may need to use these baseline operatingparameters (or similar operating parameters) in order to meet theoperational life specification. Other baselines may also be used forgenerating the update information, e.g., minimal use baselines, averageuse baselines, etc. In one embodiment, the update information may beinterpolated between baselines or various heuristics may be used todetermine the update information.

The update information may be based on the additional information inaddition to the aging information. For example, devices that have beenshaken often (e.g., while playing a game) may have a higher rate ofaging. Accordingly, more conservative operating parameters may be usedfor such devices. Similarly, devices that have experienced highertemperatures (e.g., operational or ambient) or had more temperaturecycles (e.g., where the device was forced to reduce power consumptiondue to a high temperature) may need more conservative operatingparameters than devices that have not. Further, devices that are used inmore processor intensive applications than others (e.g., playing videoor video games versus browsing the web or listening to music) may agemore quickly than others.

In some embodiments, the update information may also be based on aginginformation received from a multitude of devices. For example, theupdate information may be based on the statistics determined in 606above. Accordingly, 706 may provide one example of use of thestatistics, as indicated in 608. In one embodiment, the statistics mayhelp in determining the baseline operating parameters described above.Additionally, or alternatively, the statistics may be used to determinethe correct parameters to achieve the desired operating characteristicsdescribed above. For example, the statistics may be used to determinewhat operating parameters can be used for the current device given itsaging information (and/or additional information) to achieve theoperating characteristics described above based on aging of otherdevices that have similar aging or other conditions. Said another way,the aging of other devices in a similar condition (or a previouslysimilar condition) may be used to determine appropriate operatingparameters of the device. For example, previously effective operatingparameters of other devices in a similar condition may be used as theoperating parameters (e.g., with modification, as desired) for thecurrent device.

As one particular example, the statistics may indicate that deviceswithin a certain area age less than devices within another area.Accordingly, based on the location information provided by the device,the update information may be determined according to the statisticsregarding electronic aging of devices. As a specific example, the deviceis located in an area where the statistics indicate that the device mayage more slowly than in other areas, the update information may useoperating parameters under the assumption that the device will age moreslowly than others (e.g., the operating voltage may be set to a loweramount since the future aging does not require significant increases involtage or the operating frequency may be increased to allow the deviceto operate faster since the future aging will not impede theperformance).

As another example, the statistics may indicate that devices that areshaken often age faster than devices that do not. The statistics mayeven indicate the extent of the relationship between shaking andelectronic aging, which may be used to determine appropriate operatingparameters of the device. For example, the statistics may indicate thatdevices that are shaken the amount of the current device generally needto be updated to conservative parameters in order to reach theoperational lifetime of the device.

In one embodiment, the update information may be generated by accessinga data structure (e.g., a table) that includes sets of aging informationand corresponding sets of operating parameter information. As indicatedabove, the data structure may include a database that may be used todetermine operating parameters based on the aging information and/or theadditional information of the device. The content of the data structuremay be determined using any of the methods described above to determineupdate information. For example, the data in the data structure may bebased on the statistics determined in FIG. 6, baseline parameters, etc.Where the data structure is based on statistics, it may be updatedperiodically as new aging information and statistics are derived, e.g.,following the method of FIG. 6.

In 708, the update information may be provided to the device to modifyone or more operating parameters of the device. For example, the updateinformation may be provided as a software or firmware update to thedevice. In one embodiment, the device may include a data structure thatspecifies the operating parameters that the device uses during operationand the update may modify the operating parameters according to theupdate information determined in 706. Accordingly, after modifying theseoperating parameters, the device may operate according to the newoperating parameters.

The method described above may be performed for multiple devices, e.g.,via a local computer system (e.g., where the local computer systemmanages the multiple devices) or via multiple local computer systems.Alternatively, the method described above may be performed withoutrequiring the use of local computer systems, as already mentioned.

Additionally, the method described above may be performed multiple timesfor a device over the lifetime of the device. Accordingly, the device'soperating parameters may be adjusted over time as the device ages.

FIG. 8—Modifying Operating Parameters of a Device Over Time

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for modifying operating parameters of adevice over time. The method shown in FIG. 8 may be used in conjunctionwith any of the computer systems or devices shown in the above Figures,among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elementsshown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, ormay be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed asdesired. As shown, this method may operate as follows.

In 802, the device may be configured according to one or more firstoperating parameters. The one or more first operating parameters may beabove one or more sustainable operating parameters. More specifically,the sustainable operating parameters may have been determined based onassumptions of use of the device and the first operating parameters mayexceed those sustainable operating parameters. As used herein, operatingparameters that are “above” the sustainable operating parameters referto operating parameters that, if used, would not meet the lifeexpectancy of the device if used according to the assumptions of use ofthe device. Accordingly, while in many cases these operating parametershave a higher value than the sustainable operating parameters (e.g.,higher operating frequency), “above” does not necessarily mean theoperating parameters have a higher value than the sustainable operatingparameters.

In one embodiment, the assumptions of use may be above average use,e.g., an assumption that exceeds 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 98%, etc. ofaverage use of the device. In some embodiments, the assumptions of usemay be a worst case assumption of use, e.g., where the device isoperated at maximum performance for the lifetime of the device.

In 804, use of the device may be monitored. For example, the use of thedevice may be monitored by receiving the aging information and/oradditional information (e.g., the usage information) described in 702and 704 of FIG. 7. However, monitoring use of the device may not requirethe aging information. For example, the usage information and/or otheradditional information could be used to monitor use of the devicewithout needing the aging information described above. However, using asmuch information as possible to monitor use of the device may bedesirable, e.g., including the aging information. Additional methods ofmonitoring use of the device are envisioned.

In 806, one or more second operating parameters may be determined basedon the use of the device. The one or more second operating parametersmay be lower than the one or more first operating parameters.Additionally, the second operating parameters may be the same as ordifferent than the sustainable operating parameters. For example, if thedevice has been used often (e.g., has aged significantly), the secondoperating parameters may be the same as or similar to the sustainableoperating parameters. However, if the device has not been used as often(e.g., has not aged significantly), the second operating parameters maystill be greater than the sustainable operating parameters. In general,the one or more second operating parameters may be determined similar tothe manner that the update information was determined in 706 of FIG. 7,which was determined based on the aging information, additionalinformation, and/or statistical information derived fromaging/additional information of the multitude of devices.

Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more second operatingparameters may be determined based on updated assumptions of use of thedevice. For example, the assumptions of use of the device may be updatedbased on statistics of actual use, e.g., as determined in the method ofFIG. 6. Accordingly, the one or more second operating parameters may bebased on these changed assumptions, e.g., in addition to, or alternativeto, the monitoring of use in 804. Similar descriptions apply to theupdate information determined in FIG. 7.

In 808, the device may be configured according to the one or more secondoperating parameters. 808 may be performed similarly to 708 above.

The method of FIG. 8 may be performed by any of a variety of systems.For example, the device itself operate according to the firstparameters, monitor use of the device, and configure itself according toone or more second parameters (e.g., that were determined by the device,e.g., using software, or that were pre-stored on the device).Additionally, or alternatively, a computer system may perform the methodof FIG. 8. For example, a local computer system may initially configurethe device, monitor use of the device (e.g., by receiving aginginformation and/or additional information during the lifetime of thedevice), determine the second operating parameters based on themonitoring, and configure the device according to the second operatingparameters. In one embodiment, one or more remote computer systems(e.g., servers) may perform the method. For example, the remote computersystems may monitor use of the device (e.g., by receiving the aginginformation and/or additional information from the device or from thelocal computer system), determine the second operating parameters, andthen configure the device according to the second operating parameters(e.g., with or without using an intermediary local computer system).Thus, the method of FIG. 8 may be performed in a variety of differentmanners by a variety of different devices.

Thus, the method of FIG. 8 takes advantage of the fact that devices maybe initially configured at operating parameters that exceed normal,conservative operating parameters determined at design since theseoperating parameters can be changed over the lifetime of the device, ifnecessary. This may allow the device to have better system performanceand/or battery life at no additional design or technology cost. Thus, abetter user experience may be achieved according to this method.

Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It isintended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all suchvariations and modifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for collecting aging information for aplurality of devices, the method comprising: receiving aging informationof the plurality of devices over a wide area network, wherein eachdevice operates according to one or more operating parameters, whereinthe one or more operating parameters are above one or more sustainableoperating parameters, wherein the aging information specifies aging ofone or more electronic circuits in each respective device and isdetermined as a function of operating conditions of the respectivedevice, and wherein the plurality of devices are a common device typeand a common generation; storing the aging information from theplurality of devices on a memory medium, wherein the aging informationfrom the plurality of devices is useable to assess operation of theplurality of devices; determining improved operating parameters of theplurality of devices based on the aging information; and sending theimproved operating parameters to the plurality of devices over the widearea network, wherein the improved operating parameters are useable toconfigure the plurality of devices.
 2. The method of claim 1,determining statistical information of operation of the plurality ofdevices based on the aging information.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining average aging of the plurality ofdevices; wherein the average aging of the plurality of devices isuseable to assess operation of the plurality of devices.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving battery condition informationfrom the plurality of devices over the wide area network; storing thebattery condition information from the plurality of devices on thememory medium; wherein the aging information and the battery conditioninformation from the plurality of devices are useable to assessoperation of the plurality of devices.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving usage information from the plurality of devicesover the wide area network; storing the usage information from theplurality of devices on the memory medium; wherein the aging informationand the usage information from the plurality of devices are useable toassess operation of the plurality of devices.
 6. A non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium comprising program instructions forcollecting aging information for a plurality of devices, wherein theprogram instructions are executable to: receive aging information of theplurality of devices over a wide area network, wherein each deviceoperates accordingly to one or more operating parameters, wherein theone or more operating parameters are above one or more sustainableoperating parameters, wherein the aging information specifies aging ofone or more electronic circuits in each respective device and isdetermined as a function of operating conditions of the respectivedevice, and wherein the plurality of devices are a common device typeand a common generation; store the aging information of the plurality ofdevices on a memory medium, wherein the aging information from theplurality of devices is useable to assess operation of the plurality ofdevices; determine improved operating parameters of the plurality ofdevices based on the aging information; and send the improved operatingparameters to the plurality of devices over the wide area network,wherein the improved operating parameters are useable to configure theplurality of devices.
 7. The non-transitory computer-readable memorymedium of claim 6, wherein the aging information is determined as afunction of actual use of the plurality of devices.
 8. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 6, wherein theoperating conditions comprise operating voltage, frequency, and/ortemperature.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium ofclaim 8, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:determine statistical information of operation of the plurality ofdevices based on the aging information, wherein the statisticalinformation is usable to assess operation of the plurality of devices;and receive location information of each of the plurality of devicesover the wide area network; wherein the statistical information isdetermined using the location information to determine location-basedusage of the plurality of devices.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium of claim 6, wherein the programinstructions are further executable to: determine statisticalinformation of operation of the plurality of devices based on the aginginformation, wherein the statistical information is usable to assessoperation of the plurality of devices; receive altitude information ofeach of the plurality of devices over the wide area network; and whereinthe statistical information is determined using the location informationto determine location-based usage of the plurality of devices.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 6, wherein theprogram instructions are further executable to: determine statisticalinformation of operation of the plurality of devices based on the aginginformation, wherein the statistical information is usable to assessoperation of the plurality of devices; and receive operating temperatureinformation of each of the plurality of devices over the wide areanetwork; wherein the statistical information is determined using theoperating temperature information.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium of claim 6, wherein the programinstructions are further executable to: determine statisticalinformation of operation of the plurality of devices based on the aginginformation, wherein the statistical information is usable to assessoperation of the plurality of devices; receive ambient temperatureinformation of each of the plurality of devices over the wide areanetwork; wherein the statistical information is determined using theambient temperature information.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality ofdevices are a common device type manufactured by a common manufacturer.